Leading Change in the Higher Education Institutions of Ethiopia Change Leadership Behaviors and Leadership Resilience during Academic-Related Change programs, Challenges and Essences of leadership
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Date
2026-02-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Pressure for change in higher education institutions (HEIs) is evident from all sides, and they need to adapt their operations to this environment. Ethiopian public HEIs have undergone State-initiated academic-related reform programs, including competency-based education and modularization, and curriculum harmonization for all undergraduate programs. To cope with the schemes of change as well as the current dynamics, HEIs require the use of strategies and effective leadership. This study examined the status and challenges of leadership regarding the implementation of the schemes of change and existing thinking about leadership for change thereby enumerated the contextual competencies by drawing on the academic staff‘s perception (academic leaders and faculty members) and academic leaders‘ narratives in public universities of Ethiopia. Using a concurrent embedded mixed-methods (MMs) design, data were collected from 372 faculty members and 216 managers of Organizational Academic Units (OAUs) from six universities across the three generations of universities, who were sampled using a multi-stage stratified proportionate sampling through questionnaires, and 22 experienced managerial academic leaders via interviews. Quantitative data were processed using SPSS version 20 and analyzed using frequencies, mean score, SD, mean rank, Chi-square test, Friedman test (X2f) along with Wilcoxon signed rank test, the independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and one-sample t-test. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and using the narrative strategy, then used to support the quantitative analysis. Results of the study indicated the existence of a leadership gap in the management of change (implementation) in Ethiopian public universities. The degree of Change Leadership Behaviors (CLBs) practice was at the average position, but not to the level expected. Besides, one-sample t-test results indicated that the academic leaders' level of resilience was significantly lower than the expected value. Leadership was also limited in several critical areas, such as role-modeling, teamwork, and strategic conduct. Results from a one-way ANOVA on academic leaders' use of CLBs showed a significant variation across the three generations of universities with a p-value of less than .001. The findings revealed that the major leadership challenges throughout the universities were resource constraints (of finance, physical and material), lack of autonomy of the institutions and their leaders, and unsupportive organizational culture. The bureaucratic work condition challenge is manifested in varying degrees of influence across the universities. Lack of consultative process and support from the MoE was also a major leadership challenge across the universities. Besides, it revealed that gaps in the universities‘ management, including unfairness and power centralization, challenged middle and departmental level leadership. The study concludes that Ethiopia‘s higher education system has a problem in coping with change successfully. This implies an urgent need for establishing performance rewards for the HEI leadership both at the institutional and ministerial levels as well as revisiting the system of change management at the sectoral level. The findings also imply that the qualities that characterize the transformational leadership focus on the human dimensions (including empowering people through participating, effective communication, motivating and team-building) and trustworthiness (role-modeling and fairness) both at HEI and individual leader levels are keys to effective change management
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leading change, resilience in leadership, organizational change, leadership challenges, higher education leadership